GOP targets IRS on Obamacare

Republican senators are pushing separate amendments on a spending bill this week that would choke off funding to the IRS to implement Obamacare and suggests that President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, White House staff and others participate in the insurance exchanges.

The IRS amendment to the transportation appropriations bill comes from Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who say that IRS targeting of conservative groups could affect the organization’s impartiality in implementing the healthcare law. Their amendment would deny any money to the Treasury to implement the health law.

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Denying funding to Obamacare as part of a government funding bill expected in September has become a new rallying cry for Senate conservatives such as Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah and Marco Rubio of Florida.

“After the abuses and mismanagement that have come to light, it is clear we must prevent the IRS from having any role in Americans’ health care,” Cornyn said in a statement.

The amendment on expanding White House and congressional participation in the exchanges comes from Sens. David Vitter (R-La.) and Dean Heller (R-Nev.).

The Affordable Care Act already requires lawmakers’ personal office staff to leave their federal employee insurance plan and participate in one of the health law’s new plans. For most staffers, that will be the insurance exchanges, but they also have other options, such as a spouse’s plan or Medicare, if they are over 65. This amendment would require committee staff, the executive branch and political appointees to leave the federal employee insurance plan, too .

There is no guarantee that the amendments will get votes given the dozens of measures already filed to the transportation spending bill, but there is some precedent to Republicans getting votes on health care issues when the Senate is considering transport legislation.

Last year Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) held up progress on a transportation bill for days in order to get a vote on his “conscious” amendment to allow employers to decline to cover contraception and other health benefits that conflict with religious beliefs. That amendment was eventually tabled but ground the entire Senate to a halt and drew increased attention to the issue.